Hollow article and method of making the same



HOLLOW ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed. April 20, 1925 -2 Sheets-Sheet @num/rio@ EomasEMl/rqy @513V @Mo/mam awww Sept. 24, 1929.

T. E. MURRAY HOLLOW ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THEi SAM Filed April 2O 1925 2 Smeets-Sheet ww l @y {MWI} l ||||||LI|||||||I|I Patented Sept. 124, 1929 UNITED STATES THOMAS E. MURRAY, F NEW YORK. N. Y.,

PATENT orties ASSIGNOR IO METROPOLITAN ENGINEER- ING COMPANY, 0F BROOKLYN, .NEW YGRK, A GRPORATION 0F NEW YORK i HOLLOW ARTICLE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Application tiled April 20,

rlhis invention relates to improvements in hollow articles and to the method of making Y boiler headers, axle housings and similar hol- Fig. 2 illustrates a further stepand Fig. 3

shows one end of a boiler header embodying my invention and made according to my improved method;

Fig. 4 illustrates kan alternative step of lmaking a boiler header according to my method;

Fig. 5 is an end View of one of the pieces shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 iS a side elevation part-ly in section showing a header-V embodying my invention and made accordingto my method; y

Fig. 7 illustrates a step in making an axle housing according to my method;

Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are a plan, side elevation and end view respectively of such axle hous- Figs. 11 and 12 are a fragmentary view of slightly modified form of axle housing and a plan thereof.

Referring firstto Figs. 1 to 3, Fig. 1 shows an elongated; member Substantially U- shaped in cross-section comprising side walls or flanges 19a- 12 which are connected by a. wall or web 14. At the ends the wall 14 is'carried around to form end walls 16.v The section 10 can be either a forging or it can be pressed up or stamped from a single sheet of suitable metal. The side walls 12 of the member 10 are punched or otherwise cut away as at 18 and 20 to form part of the apertures for the reception of the boiler tubes. The openings 18 and 20 are of such size and shape that after the member is bent to the desired contour these openings will form portions of a substantially true circle. After the openings 18 andQO have been formed the member 10 issubjected to pressure in a vsuitable die and is given the zig-zag or sinuous form illustrated in Fig. 2. l

" full length of the header.

i923. SerialV No. 633,407.

rIfheheader iscompleted by a Icomplementary piece 10? (F ig. 2) united to the part 10 along f the staggered abutting edges 22 (Fig. 3). f

The edges of the parts are united preferthen welded to the continuous integral segment constituting the other half of the article. Each of these partial segments can be welded to the complete segment by means of an equipment of a capacity depending on the length of the partial segment. If three pieces are used to make up one of the halves of the header, the three pieces being of equal length, they can be Welded in succession to the opposite continuous half with ay capacity only one-third of that required for Iwelding two continuous integral segments, each of the y This division of one of the segments into a pl-uralityof parts is shown more fully in connection with Figs. 4 and 6. Here, the segment 30 is integral or continuous throughout its length. JIhe header is completed by the addition thereto, one after the other, of a plurality of shorter complementary segments 30 and 30".

In butt Welding by the resistance method, in which a current is passed across the joint and the two parts are pressed together, it is a vdisadvantage to have joints, such as 22, Fig. 3, whichl are oblique to the line of pressure. I prefer, therefore, to form the segments as in Fig. 4 with meeting edges all of which are parallel to the length of the header so that when the parts are pressed together the pressure may be exerted in a direction normal to all the joints. s

As shown in these figures, I form the abutting edges 32 and 32a of the opposed members in a straight line so that the line of Weld, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 6, extends in practically the same plane throughplants of smaller welding or brazing.

Figs. 7 to 12 inclusive illustrate m method applied to the formation of axle iousings. In Fig. 7 the lower portion 40 of the housing is of one continuous piece and the sections 41, 42, 43 and 44 are separately Welded along the abutting edges 45 and 46 of said sections. rIlhe ends of the` sections are then welded along the transverse lines 47, 48y and 49.

In Fig. 9fthe axle housing is shown las consisting of a continuous lower portion 50, a central upper section 51 Welded thereto and ,j end sections 52 and 53 forming the ends of the housing.

The sections 52 and 53 are Welded to the center section along the lines 54 and 54. The lines of weld 54 and 54 in Fig. 9 are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal welded joint 55 as shown. Instead of making the joints 53 and 54 perpendicular to the axis of the housing, I'may cutthe sections so that they are Welded on a diagonal line as shown at 56 in Fi s. 11 and l2. With the diagonal joint there 1s a greater resistance to torsion and less strain is put upon the welded joint.

My method as herein described provides a I simple and comparatively inexpensive way of making boiler headers and similar hollow articles. The products obtained serve their respective functions equally as Well as similar products made by other members even though they a-re produced in a much less expenslve manner,

j Though I have described with great particularity the steps in my improved method and the construction and characteristics of certain specific articles, it is not to be construed that I am limited thereto as various changes may be made by those skilled in the art wit-hout departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. The method of making hollow articles which consists in forming one continuous piece of the desired shape, and forming a plu- Y rality of separate pieces and electrically butt- Welding said pieces in succession to the continuous piece, the separate pie-ces being so short that the operat-ion is performed by the expenditure of a comparatively small quantity of current at a time.

2. The method of manufacture of met-al articles which consists in forming one continuous piece to the desired shape and forming a plurality of separate pieces and buttwelding said separate pieces in succession to the continuous piece and to each other, the separate pieces being so short that the operation is performed by the expenditure of a pieces in succession to the continuous piece, y

the separate pieces being so short that the operation is performed by the expenditure of a comparatively` small quantity lof current at a time.

4. In the making of boiler headers of sinnous shape with a line of staggered holes for boiler tubes, the-,method which consists in forming segments of substantially U-shaped cross-section with openings of different sizes in the sides, the openings in the sides of one segment being staggered with relation to those of corresponding size in the other segment, and with edges cutting across said openings in lines substantially parallel to the length of the header, and uniting said segments by butt-welding said edges together.

5.- A hollow article of the class described comprising a segment which vis 'integral throughout its length; and a plurality of shorter complementary segments which are butt-welded to the longitudinal edges of said integral segment.

6. A hollow article of theclass described comprising a segment vwhich is integral throughout its length and a plurality of shorter complementary segments which are butt-welded to said integral segment along edges which are parallel to the length of the article.

7. A boiler header comprising a hollow sheet metal -member having opposed walls bent to form substantially parallel sinuous sect-ions,-said walls having integral flanges which are united to form flat walls, said flat Walls having a line of staggered openings formed therein for the reception of boiler tubes, said anges beingy welded together along lines substantially parallel to the length my name.

THOMAS E. MURRAY. 

